Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the White House have caused quite a stir in food and agriculture circles by warning that budget sequestration could lead to a two-week furlough of federal meat inspectors, which would effectively halt American meat and poultry processing. The meat industry has responded by arguing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture… Continue Reading
In 1993, 623 people in the western U.S. fell ill with a little-known bacteria called E. coli O157:H7. Ultimately, four children would die from their infections; many others suffered long-term medical complications. The bug was later traced to undercooked hamburger served at Jack in the Box restaurants. This outbreak thrust foodborne illness onto the national stage… Continue Reading
This commentary was contributed jointly by John Munsell and Dr. Richard Raymond. Last week, James H. Hodges, Executive Vice-President at the American Meat Institute (AMI), ostensibly penned an opinion piece for Food Safety News titled “Wrestling With the Science of STEC”. You can read it here. But in case you are not inclined to go… Continue Reading
When it comes to our nation’s Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) policy, some people like to wrestle in the mud. I like to wrestle with the science. And the science does not support the need for a new USDA policy, now set to go into effect in June. At AMI, we regularly review microbiological… Continue Reading
“American Meat” is the latest documentary film seeking to be part of the nation’s food debate. Unlike some that have gone before — “Food Inc.” and “Fast Food Nation” come to mind –”American Meat” appears to be less polemic. So far it’s only had a few screenings in Iowa, but its own website says… Continue Reading
Sometimes events just run over the best planned lobbying strategy. Take the American Meat Institute (AMI) for example. Wednesday found it again rolling out what it claims are problems with testing for strains of non-O157:H7 E. coli. That might have been a good tactic to delay regulating those strains, which AMI calls the Sinful Six…. Continue Reading
All the lobbyists billing their respective and mostly meat industry clients made the point one more time Monday — they do not want fees replacing what the taxpayers now ante up and the government borrows to pay for food safety. So they’ve penned a letter to the so-called “Gang of Six,” three Democratic Senators and… Continue Reading
Non-ambulatory disabled veal calves and other animals that cannot walk on their own on to the kill floor should be “humanely euthanized,” two animal welfare groups say. A comment period just ended for petitions filed last year with USDA’s Food Safety and inspection Service by two organizations — Farm Sanctuary and the Humane Society of… Continue Reading
A recent Bill Marler blog said “Mary Clare Jalonick of AP reports on the Vilsack/Hagen briefing that the Obama administration is aiming to prevent meat recalls by withholding meat and poultry products from grocery store shelves until government testing is complete.” The Agriculture Department proposed rules Tuesday that would force companies to delay shipments to… Continue Reading
In a recent article about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) subtle move toward more effective and efficient traceback efforts, Scott Goltry, the American Meat Institute’s (AMI) vice president for food safety and inspection services, was quoted as saying: AMI “believes that it is a misuse of FSIS resources to… Continue Reading
During the past week, Food Safety News brought readers the details on the proposal for food safety funding in President Obama’s $3.7 trillion budget. Helena Bottemiller, our capitol correspondent, reported the President was putting FDA in for an additional $170 million for food safety, while trimming USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service back by $8… Continue Reading